http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/index ... 1110302006
Crackdown on seatbelt cheats and speeding to save lives
MICHAEL BLACKLEY
SPEEDING motorists and those who fail to fasten seatbelts are to be targeted in a summer safety campaign, aimed at protecting children on Lothians roads.
Police in unmarked cars will be on patrol at known blackspots during the two-week blitz starting today.
There will also be roadside checks in the campaign which will also target drink-drivers.
Drivers will face £30 fines for not wearing a seatbelt and risk being slapped with a fine of up to £1000 for speeding, as well as receiving between three and six penalty points on their licence.
The initiative is being staged in the final fortnight of the school holidays in an attempt to cut down on the number of accidents involving children playing outdoors.
The number of serious accidents on the region's roads are on the increase, with the number of people seriously injured soaring by more than 100 to 520 from 2004 to 2005, according to Scottish Executive figures. Six people died on the city's roads last year.
However, at the same time as more serious crashes increased, the number of accidents in Lothian and Borders fell by six per cent to 4192 over the same period.
Inspector Douglas Kirkham, of Lothian and Borders Police roads policing department, said: "These last few weeks of the summer mean that many children will be out and about playing.
"It is also a time when parents take their kids out in their cars for fun days away or to visit relatives and friends.
"What we are saying is that speeding, drink driving and failing to wear seatbelts are all major causes of children being killed or seriously injured, whether as car passengers or pedestrians."
Lothian and Borders Police are aiming to halve the number of children killed or seriously injured on the roads.
Inspector Kirkham said: "The death of just one child on our roads is a heartbreaking tragedy for any parent and we have to remember that.
"We cannot be complacent and must continue to crack down on drivers who break the law and put our children at risk. The aim of this co-ordinated campaign is to reduce accidents, injuries and their severity by influencing the attitude of drivers towards speeding, drink-driving and driving while unrestrained."
Scotland-wide, the number of fatally or seriously injured casualties in Scotland fell by seven per-cent to 2837 in 2005/06, 41 per cent down on the average of the years between 1994 and 1998. The accident figures beat a previous target set at a 40 per cent reduction by 2010.
The number of children fatally or seriously injured on Scotland's roads also fell by four per cent in 2005/06.
But Bruce Young, Edinburgh and Lothians co-ordinator for the Association of British Drivers, questioned whether the timing of the campaign was the best for cutting road accidents. He said: "I cannot see why speeding or drink-driving would be any more relevant for accidents involving children than any other accidents.
"There is far more danger of accidents at other times of the year anyway, such as when the nights are drawing in. It would be much more sensible to have the campaign then."
Last updated: 31-Jul-06 11:28 BST
reader comments
1. Alexander, Duddingston / 12:47pm 31 Jul 2006
The 25% increase in serious injuries on the regions roads way well be due to the increased use of fixed site speed cameras. The locations of these cameras are well known and only sleepy locals and visitors are in any danger of detection. A further effect of these useless cameras is a tendency for some irresponsible drivers to speed in wholly inappropriate locations known to be camera free.
2. Alex, Prisoner of the MACHINE / 5:36pm 31 Jul 2006
Oh good another crackdown article. Excuse me while I yawn
3. Alastair, Edinburgh / 6:51pm 31 Jul 2006
Yet again we see another "crackdown" on motorists.
Yet again, speed is one of the subjects.
When are we going to see emphasis on something other than speed of travel? Crashes due to excess speed account for only a tiny fraction of the total number of crashes on our roads.
A culture is being created (or HAS been created) where people believe that if they are driving within the posted speed limit, they are automatically driving safely. Accordingly, they feel less inclined to bother with details that really cause crashes if they are not attended to---for instance observation and anticipation.
This explains the rise in crashes. This figure will continue to rise until the powers that be start a proper education program and cease trotting out the same old, tired and inaccurate "speed kills" mantra.
4. Andrew, Edinburgh / 10:15pm 31 Jul 2006
I find the defence of speeding motorists incredible. Maybe it is the cause in a small number of accidents (which I seriously doubt, but I don't have the facts). What is a proven fact is that the consequences rise dramatically with speed. A child hit at 30 mph is likely to survive. A child hit at 40 mph is not. One child saved is quite enough.
5. Paul Smith, Safe Speed Campaign / 3:53am 1 Aug 2006
Im afraid that Andrew has been mislead by the propaganda. Perhaps he would be satisfied if we killed the 20% of child pedestrians who would be expected to die in a 30mph impact? Or satisfied with the 10% who would die in 20mph impacts?
Fortunately for children everywhere we are already doing FAR FAR better than this despite 60% of vehicles exceeding 30mph at sample sites.
Official figures show that in built up areas just 0.47% of child pedestrians injured are killed. Clearly we are not hitting them at 30mph. If we were there would have been ~2,400 child pedestrians deaths in built up areas in 2004 and not 58.
In the real world, slowing down in areas of danger and braking before impact are vital life saving behaviours. More of those behaviours please, and far less misleading propaganda.
6. Chris, Scotland / 7:19am 1 Aug 2006
In response to Andrew of Edinburgh, which would he prefer? A child to be hit at 40 and killed, a child to be hit at 30 and injured, or a child not to be hit at all because the driver was paying attention to the road rather than gorping at his speedometer? What we need is less obsession with speed and more properly trained police traffic patrols who can distinguish between safe and unsafe driving, something a camera never will.
Login
Register
FAQ
Search
Members
